Doubles, Men

Creating the most interest in the men’s doubles were the Croatians Nikola Mektić and Mate Pavić. They only paired up together in 2021 with the Olympics in mind, but went to the Games with eight titles to their credit, including Wimbledon, and were the top seeds.

The British partnership, Andy Murray and Joe Salisbury, were an impressive combination and, in their opening match, beat the fancied French pair of Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut. The Dutch pair Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer had to withdraw from their second-round match after Rojer tested positive for COVID-19.

Murray’s dream of a fourth Olympic medal ended in the quarter-finals when he and Salisbury were beaten 10-7 in a match tie-break by the Croatian pair Marin Čilić and Ivan Dodig. Number one seeds Mektić and Pavić beat the Americans Austin Krajicek and Tennys Sandgren in the semi-final to set up an all-Croatian final after their compatriots Čilić and Dodig disposed of New Zealand’s Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus in two sets.

In the bronze medal match, Daniell and Venus beat the Americans to win the first tennis medal at Tokyo 2020, and also collect New Zealand’s first ever Olympic tennis medal. The all-Croatian final saw Mektić and Pavić beat their fellow countrymen Čilić and Dodig. Not only was it Croatia’s first gold in this event, it was also the first time since 1908 that the final had been contested by four players from the same country.